Method for producing a structural component, particularly for a vehicle body

Abstract

A method for producing a structural component for a vehicle body, the method includes forming a flat carrier material made of a metal, a thermoplastic material and/or a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material to give a three-dimensional component, and providing a supporting material made of a thermoplastic material, such that the carrier material and the supporting material form an integral material composite. The material composite made up of the carrier material and the supporting material is produced before the carrier material is formed. The material composite is heated before the forming in order to make forming of the thermoplastic material possible. A rib structure is impressed into the supporting material during the forming of the material composite, and the temperature of the three-dimensional component having the rib structure is controlled, it preferably being cooled.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for producing a structural component for a vehicle body, the method comprising:
 providing a flat carrier material made of a metal and one of a thermoplastic material or a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material to give a three-dimensional component; and 
 providing the carrier material with a supporting material made of a thermoplastic material, such that the carrier material and the supporting material form an integral material composite, wherein the carrier material is in the form of a multi-layer material composite, one of the layers of the multi-layer material composite consisting of metal, wherein the material composite made up of the carrier material and the supporting material is produced before the carrier material is processed to give the three-dimensional component, the layer thickness of the supporting material being at least twice the thickness of the multi-layer carrier material, 
 after the material composite is formed, heating the material composite before the processing in order to make processing of the thermoplastic material possible, wherein a rib structure is impressed into the supporting material simultaneously during the three-dimensional forming of the material composite, and wherein the temperature of the three-dimensional component having the rib structure is controlled. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the component is controlled by cooling the component. 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the material composite is formed and the temperature of the component is controlled by a temperature-controlled forming tool. 
     
     
       4. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the component having the rib structure is cut, perforated and/or set to end contour. 
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the material composite made up of the carrier material and the supporting material is produced in a continuous belt running process, and wherein a strip-shaped carrier material and a strip-shaped supporting material are integrally connected to one another. 
     
     
       6. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the material composite made up of the carrier material and the supporting material is produced in a discontinuous laminating and/or material application process, and wherein the supporting material is applied at least partially to prefabricated carrier material plates in such a manner that an integral connection is generated between the respective carrier material plate and the supporting material applied thereto. 
     
     
       7. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting material is applied to the carrier material in the form of a homogeneous, flat layer. 
     
     
       8. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting material used is a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material. 
     
     
       9. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting material is applied to one or more defined subarea regions of the carrier material. 
     
     
       10. The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the supporting material is applied to various subarea regions of the carrier material with a different material composition and/or a different layer thickness. 
     
     
       11. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting material is applied to the carrier material in the form of an individual strip or in the form of a plurality of strips, such that the respective strip covers a subarea region of the carrier material. 
     
     
       12. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting material is applied to the carrier material in a plurality of layers. 
     
     
       13. The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the layers of the supporting material are applied to the carrier material with a different material composition, different area size and/or a different layer thickness. 
     
     
       14. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rib structure is impressed at least partially in the form of an auxetic rib structure. 
     
     
       15. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rib structure is impressed at least partially in the form of a honeycomb-shaped rib structure.